Sudan protests EU's query of Djibouti and Uganda for not arresting Bashir

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - Sudan has protested to the European Union (EU) about its statement expressing regret that Djibouti and Uganda did not arrest President Omar Bashir when he visited those countries as stated by the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Sudanese media reported on Thursday that the Foreign Ministry summoned the Ambassador of the European Union in Khartoum, Jean Michel Dumond, on Wednesday and communicated to him the government's "dismay and rejection" of the EU statement.

The media reports said Sudan's Foreign Under-Secretary, Abdul Ghani al-Naeem, told Dumond that President Bashir exercises his sovereign duties in accordance with the constitution and international law.

He said Sudan does not accept to be subjected to any measure based on the Rome Statute of the ICC because the country is not a state member of the Court, which "is politicised and targets only the African leaders".

The Under-Secretary argued that President Bashir, on his visits to Djibouti and Uganda, was mandated by a recent summit meeting of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to carry out "a noble" mission for finding peace in South Sudan.

al-Naeem said it would have been appropriate for the EU to issue a statement in support of this Sudanese effort, instead of issuing "this rejected statement".

For his part, the EU ambassador was reported to have expressed his appreciation for Sudan's current efforts for peace in South Sudan as well as Sudan's cooperation with the EU in all fields and promised to communicate the message to the EU Commission.
-0- PANA MO/MA 12July2018